While the India Champions were crowned as winners of the Championship of Legends, defeating Pakistan by five wickets in a nail-biting final on Saturday, skipper Yuvraj Singh revealed his all-time XI. A decorated cricketer himself, ace Indian batting legends Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma were some of the enticing choices he has opted for.
Yuvraj opened his list with Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting as the opening batsmen. Rohit Sharma was his choice at No3 while Virat Kohli made the cut for the No4 spot. For No5, he chose AB de Villiers while Adam Gilchrist rounded out his top six by being a specialist wicketkeeper.
On the other hand, Yuvraj selected Australian spin legend Shane Warne for the No. 7 spot and Muttiah Muralitharan at No. 8. Then, in the pace attack at No. 9 and No. 10, he chose Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram, respectively, while former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff rounded off the XI at No. 11. Asked for a special No. 12, Yuvraj said that it would be himself.
Yuvraj Singh’s All-Time XI: Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Flintoff, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram. Yuvraj Singh (12th man)
— Dev 🇮🇳 (@time__square) July 13, 2024
Yuvraj’s team dominated in the final to win the title in a hard-fought match. Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan Champions posted a competitive total of 156/6 in 20 overs.
Kamran Akmal struck 24 off 19 and Maqsood added 21 from 12 balls, but continuous wickets made their progress slow.
The standout performer was Shoaib Malik, who struck an important 41 off 36 balls, keeping the scoreboard ticking. Skipper Younis Khan was bowled by Irfan Pathan for 7. There was a middle order collapse as Misbah-ul-Haq retired hurt after a brisk 18. Late contributions by Sohail Tanvir, unbeaten on 19 off 9 enabled Pakistan to post a respectable total.
The Indian bowlers, spearheaded by Anureet Singh with three and ably supported by Vinay Kumar, Pawan Negi and Irfan Pathan with one each, did well to send some jitters down the spine of Pakistani batsmen.
India Champions began on a high note in the chase as well. Despite an early setback when Robin Uthappa was sent back for 10, Ambati Rayudu’s explosive 30-ball 50 set the engine running on a good note.
Suresh Raina too departed for 4 in the same over, giving Pakistan an opening to make a comeback into the game. A constructive partnership between Rayudu and Gurkeerat Singh Mann, however, kept India on track with 34 off 33.
Rayudu and Mann fell within 10 runs of each other but Yusuf Pathan’s blistering 30 off 16 sent the momentum India’s way before he was dismissed in the penultimate over.
The win was sealed when captain Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan were at the crease, with scores of 15* and 5*, respectively.
